Flubber Fun

Since I started watching my 10 year old cousin this summer I've been scouring the internet and trying my best to come up with some activities that will both occupy a 10 year old and 3 year old and will keep their attention for more than 37 seconds.

After the first couple days of our new summer routine  I adopted the attitude that as long as it was entertaining for them I would not freak out about the mess the projects made.  Needless to say I have done my fair share of cleaning my apartment and yet it is never clean, but the kids have had fun and that's what's important.

One activity we used to do a lot during my days working at a daycare was making flubber.  I've read where people say it is dangerous to use the borax because it's a chemical and all that but I make sure the kids wash their hands after playing with it, don't put it anywhere near their mouth, and the amount in flubber is very small so truthfully I'm not concerned, you can make up your own mind and decide what is best for your children.

I think the second best thing about this project (the first being that it kept them occupied for a good 45 minutes on numerous days) is that I already had all the ingredients at my house.  So no extra trip to wally-world where I would inevitably walk out with a cart load of goodies instead of the glue I went in to buy.

Recipe:

3/4 cup cold water
1 cup Elmer’s glue
liquid food coloring
1/2 cup hot water
1 teaspoon borax (you can find this in a box in the laundry aisle)
directions:
step 1: in bowl 1 – mix together the cold water, glue, and food coloring. set aside.
step 2: in bowl 2 – mix together the hot water and borax, until the borax is completely dissolved.
step 3: slowly add glue mixture to borax mixture. mix well. pour off excess water.

**disclaimer: if your child is like my son and squirts half the bottle of food coloring in his flubber mixture he will inevitably have blue tinged hands every single time he plays with it.
Recipe from here: http://www.livecrafteat.com/craft/homemade-flubber-for-kids/#ixzz34EWcdCfJ

I halved the recipe and gave each of them the necessary supplies to mix their own flubber.  I did not let them touch the borax, only stir it once I had added it to the hot water.  This was the perfect amount for each of them to play with.  Store your flubber in a plastic baggie (sandwich size is perfect for a halved recipe) and it stays good for at least a week.

I have every intention of stocking my craft cabinet with glue this summer during the back to school sales to have it on hand for future rainy days, and the cold days of winter.

Postpartum Freezer Pads : Preparing for Baby

I've been doing my best to try and have everything I could possibly have to make postpartum a little easier on my body and heal as quickly as possible.  Since this is my 2nd little one and my body went through so much with Grant I figure I might have a leg up on what I need to have prepared. 

When I had Grant I had a perineal tear (pretty standard for most women), a urethral tear (longest heal time ever!), horrible hemorrhoids, and extremely sore nipples.



If that's too much information for you I apologize, I'm just trying to keep things real here.

So far I've made soothing breast pads to keep in the freezer for the sore nipples along with having a stash of nipple cream.  With some goodies ready for the ta-tas I figured I needed to start searching for something for my other region. I started googling, because what else would I do when searching for ideas, and came across freezer pads, or "padsicles".



Most of the tutorials I found used alcohol free Witch Hazel, Aloe gel, sanitary pads, and lavender essential oil.  When I went to the store I could not find any Witch Hazel that didn't have at least 14% alcohol and I really didn't want to order it online.  Had I done my research earlier I wouldn't have been concerned about getting it sent to me before I actually went into labor, but that's the procrastinator in me.



So the other night I stayed up til 12:30 in the morning searching to see if anyone had used the Witch Hazel with alcohol and found this tutorial.  My mom was afraid the alcohol content would dry out my skin down there but multiple people said they didn't have any issues with it.  I decided to trust this and use Witch Hazel I found at Meijer for $3.44.



I bought aloe gel at target for $3.94, does anyone else think this is sky high pricing for aloe?  Maybe I should have shopped around.



Oh well.



I actually read you could just use the aloe gel on a pad and freeze it for a little relief if you can't find Witch Hazel or the lavender essential oil.



The one thing I left out was the lavender essential oil.  I scanned the stores for it and couldn't find any sign of it.  I'm sure it helps but I wasn't about to pay $10 for a small bottle plus another $5+ for shipping to order it online.  There were other women on different blogs I came across that didn't use it and still had good results, so I figured I'd give it a whirl.

Here's everything I used:

I took each pad and unwrapped it leaving the plastic on the back.  Then I took the aloe and just squirted some all down the center.  I didn't want to use my fingers or anything to smear the aloe around for fear of germs.  The last thing I want is an infection in that area.  So instead I used the pad itself and just folded the top down and smeared it around then repeated that with the bottom half of the pad.  Then I took a tablespoon measuring spoon and poured about 1/2T Witch Hazel all over the pad.  I didn't want to "soak" the pad in the Witch Hazel, I just wanted it to be damp.  You could use more if you wanted.

Then I folded the pad back up just like it was before I opened it and wrapped it in foil.  All the blogs I read said they didn't have any issues with the pads being frozen together so I figured I shouldn't have to worry either. 

I only made 7 of these so far because I want to see how well they work before making a boat load of them.  I put all mine in a gallon sized freezer bag labeled "Lisa's postpartum", just so my husband wouldn't think it was some kind of food and open them.

 With the bottles of aloe and Witch Hazel I bought there is more than enough to make loads of these if they work well.

All the reviews on pads like these were great so I'm really hoping they work well for me too.  I'll report back after I get some use out of them.

DIY Soothing Breast Pads

I've been trying to round up some DIY's that will make the recovery period after birth a little less painful and uncomfortable.  Since breastfeeding difficulties was one of my big issues with Grant and the pain of sore nipples is horrendous, I want to make sure I have everything I can to make it less painful and an easier transition.  I noticed soothing gel breast pads that go in the freezer at the stores and wondered if there was a way to make a version of them myself, because for 1 pair they were 12.99 which is crazy to me.  plus plastic gel pads just didn't seem like they would be all that comfortable on sore tender nipples.

When I googled it I found this website and thought they would be perfect, not to mention simple to make.  It reminded me of the Boo Boo Bear ice pack I made for the kids.

I made mine out of the softest flannel I had in my stash and rice I had in my pantry.  The tutorial said to make them 6inches but that seemed huge to me so I did mine 5inches and used a bowl as a pattern.

I used a water soluble quilting pen to make the 1 inch circle in the center and stitched around it.  You can see the blue markings in this pic:

 A damp cloth wiped over the markings erases them.

  The tutorial I found only had the 1 inch center stitched and around the outside but I was afraid all the rice would pile in the bottom of the pad and be bulky.  So instead I made 4 straight line stitches to divide the circle into 4 quadrants.  Then I filled each one with rice.  Since I haven't used these yet I can't speak to how well they do or don't work but I'm optimistic.  These will be in my freezer ready for when I come home.

They were really easy and quick to make so I figure if they work great I can make a couple more to always have a set in the freezer.

If you know of someone who is pregnant and going to be breastfeeding these would be great in a breastfeeding gift basket or along with a baby shower gift, or even with the gift your taking to the hospital after the baby's born.

DIY Maternity Hospital Gown

I am super excited about this post, for a few reasons but one of them being I didn't actually think I was going to get this project finished. 


I made my own hospital gown using this pattern.  I've had this on my to-do list since early fall.  Of course I had planned on making it way back then but fall is too busy a time to add projects I can technically put off until after the New Year.  So I procrastinated like I always do, but this past weekend I finally made it in to Hobby Lobby in the hopes of them having the perfect fabric on clearance.


They didn't have the fabric I envisioned but I really like what I found.  I'm normally more of a blue kinda girl and that's what I wanted but I found this chocolate brown with teal polka dots for $3 a yard and thought it would probably work better.  I thought the dark color would be good considering it could possibly get a little messy, the brown will hide some of that if necessary.  I ended up buying 3 yards in case I needed to add length to the gown.  I also bought 2 packages of double fold bias tape and 1 spool (3yds) of 1 inch ribbon.  Of course I used coupons for the bias tape and ribbon and the total for my gown ended up being $13 and some change.  Not bad considering the ones online are $40 or more.

Here it is without the ribbon tie.

The ribbon isn't necessary but it makes me feel less of a huge whale waddling around.  Plus it adds a cuteness factor to it.

I used Velcro on the shoulders instead of snaps like some other bloggers.  My only reason for this is I had Velcro in my stash and I knew I could sew it on quicker than attaching snaps.  Plus I really think Velcro will be easier to attach with one hand after nursing, rather than trying to re-snap a bunch of snaps. 

I also liked the look of the ribbon around the waist or on top of my belly whichever way you wanna put it, so I added 2 small belt loops one on either side of the gown to hold it in place.  I didn't notice anyone else adding this little detail but when I thought of having the ribbon I wanted to make sure if it came untied it wouldn't just fall to the floor.  As I will probably be distracted I don't want to keep track of a ribbon.

The pattern and original directions didn't call for bias tape but I saw this blog and really liked the looks of it.  I however am not great with bias tape and probably didn't do mine right.  Actually I know I didn't but hey, I gave it my best shot and I'm not complaining with the results.  One day I'm gonna learn how to put it on right.

The directions on the pattern confused me a little.  None of the other blogs I read had any problem with them so I'm gonna assume it's a combination of my lack of brain function after a full day with a 3 year old and 2 year old and pregnancy brain on top of that.  I followed the parts I could and was winging the rest but it's seriously so simple that even winging it was easy.

The pattern called for a button on each shoulder next to the neck line.  I thought this was probably pointless so wasn't going to add them.  Then when I finished the gown I realized they actually did serve a purpose.  If you try to leave them out this is what your gown will look like. 

Even after realizing this I still didn't want to do buttons so I added an extra piece of Velcro.  I didn't want any part of the gown to be cumbersome when trying to nurse my little one.

I didn't add the pocket to the top for a heart monitor since I thought it was probably unnecessary for labor and delivery. 

I wanted to make sure my backside was completely covered while making trips to the restroom and such, since I know from experience it's difficult to hold the back of your gown, the IV pole, and walk to the restroom all at the same time during labor.  So instead of cutting the fabric following the left and right back pattern pieces.  I instead did 2 left side pieces and positioned the ribbons accordingly.

I only did a 1/2 inch hem around the bottom and didn't end up adding any extra length and this came to just below the knees and I'm about 5ft 7inches.  I'm ok with this length as I didn't want anything really long to have to mess with during delivery and exams.  In a few of the blogs I looked at  they added length because they felt like this length was too short.  If your on the fence go ahead and add a few inches because it's easier to take away extra than to add more at the end.

While brown still isn't my favorite color, I'm thrilled with my gown.  I love the fact that I won't have to wear one of the dingy white gowns the hospital provides.  I love that I can use this when I get home as a nursing nightgown if I want so it's not just a one time use, not that it still wouldn't be worth it.

Here is the backside of the gown.  I still need to trim the ribbon a little  but other than that, it's ready to go in my hospital bag!

I just wish now that I had seen this pattern back when I knew a bunch of people having babies so I could make them one.  They really are easy to put together and would make a really fantastic baby shower gift, especially for a 2nd or 3rd time mom as they usually already have most of the baby stuff covered and could use some mommy pampering.

Hopefully it won't be too long before I will have pictures of my gown in action with my little one in my arms!

DIY Hospital Slipper Socks

I've slowly been gathering items for my hospital bag.  I feel like I have plenty of time left so I've been procrastinating like crazy.  I didn't use slippers much in the hospital when I had Grant, instead I just wore socks.  They tend to be a little slippery on the tile floor in most hospitals and the last thing you want to have to worry about is slipping and falling after you've given birth.

I looked for slipper socks at a couple stores and was surprised to find them pretty expensive, or at least to me they were, but then again I'm pretty cheap when it comes to such things.  I thought about scrapping the idea of having them in my hospital bag just so I didn't need to buy them, then I thought "why not make some myself?".

So I dug out some puff paint and a couple pair of socks.

Flatten the bottoms of the socks.

Please ignore the fact these have stains on them, I swear they are clean, just old.

Then make some designs with your puff paint.  I did circles and dots in 2 different colors.  Then just let them completely dry. 

Now you have a super easy and way more affordable pair, or two, of hospital slip proof socks.  This would be great to put in a hospital kit for a new mom as a baby shower gift, except spring for a new pair of socks instead of raiding your own sock drawer, haha.

Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packets: Preparing for Baby

I love Quaker instant oatmeal packets.  I love them and yet I haven't bought them in years because they are so overpriced in my mind.  I can buy a large container of quick oats for $2.29 at my local Aldi and the Quaker packets I can't usually get any cheaper than $1.99 and that's when they are on sale.  So had the thought of making my own instant oatmeal packets and figured someone else out there probably already thought of this and could give me some pointers.

I found this website and decided to take her recipe and alter it a little to suit my needs.  Here's what you're going to need to make these:

I didn't want to use my whole container of oats, since I already did my big shopping trip, so I didn't do the full 10cups of oats.  Not to mention I don't eat oatmeal every day so I made 10 packets and used 5 cups of oats.

1st I measured out 5 cups quick oats.  I took 1 1/2 cups of the oats and pulsed it with my Magic Bullet.  Add the 1 1/2cups back in with the remaining 3 1/2 cups quick oats.  Then I added 1c non dairy dry coffee creamer (I purchased mine at walmart for $1), 1t salt, and mixed it all together.

I used the snack sized bags I found at the Dollar Tree and measured 1/2 cup of the oat/creamer/salt mixture into each one.  The recipe at the website above said to add the brown sugar in with the oats/creamer/salt but I chose not to do this because I was afraid there wouldn't be enough brown sugar in each baggie to satisfy me.  So instead I chose to add the brown sugar after I had the oat mixture all measured into the snack bags.  I used a regular cereal spoon and measured out about 2 of them into each bag.  I also always add cinnamon to my oatmeal so I gave a couple shakes of cinnamon to each bag as well.

Then just seal and shake the bag to mix up all the ingredients and you have your very own instant oatmeal packs.

I put all 10 of mine into a larger gallon size ziploc bag and used a piece of masking tape to tell how much water to add and how long to cook it in the microwave.

I'm so excited to have these ready to go for a quick breakfast after the baby is here.  I have also posted about the waffle mix, muffin mix, and pancake mix I use and have made multiple batches of in preparation for the baby.  You may be wondering why I have been stocking up on breakfast foods and not so much on dinner foods and the answer is simple.....When Grant was an infant I always forgot to eat breakfast because I was too involved in his eating habits, naps, and the daily household stuff and I didn't want that to happen this time.  Not to mention I have Grant now and I want some quick stuff so I don't have to put forth much energy to make his breakfast in the morning.


**UPDATE: It's been a little over a month since Eva was born and these oatmeal packets have been  so great to have in the pantry.  I already made a second batch because I eat them about every morning.  It's so simple to throw it into a bowl and nuke it for a couple minutes, I love it.  I keep frozen peaches and blueberries in my freezer and add a handful to each bowl for added flavor and nutrients.  Yummy!

Super Easy Fleece Scarf

My mom made a friend of hers an Ohio State Buckeyes fleece blanket for Christmas.  She knows I find all kinds of uses for scraps of fabric so she's always saving me her remnants.  This time was no different.  As soon as I saw how large the remnant was I knew I needed to make a scarf out of it.  I've been wanting to make an OSU one for awhile I just haven't bought the fabric, so this was perfect.

I didn't want this project to take much time, since I'm all about quickies, which is why I made this fringe one.  Years ago I saw tutorials about how to make one and I've kept it in my mind all this time.  After having made one now I question why the heck it took me so long to actually get it done.  It seriously took no time at all.  The most time consuming part was cutting the fabric. 

I cut 3 strips of fabric 7 inches wide and 67inches inches long, stacked them on top of each other, and stitched one long line down the center.

Then cut strips on either side of the center line about 1 inch wide, making sure not to cut the center seam.

Shake it out a little bit and seriously that's all there is to it.  No hemming, no trimming, no nothing.  Super simple, and I love it.

I'm really wanting to make some pink ribbon ones for me, my mom, and sister, how cute would those be?  Not to mention if you're looking for a quick winter birthday gift or Christmas gift this would be perfect and cost effective if you have quite a few people you're needing to gift to.  With the temps being single and negative digits, and so much snow I feel like I'll never see grass again, I'm so glad I have this to keep me extra warm.

DIY Reusable Nursing Pads

With baby's impending arrival I've been trying to get a little prepared with some DIY's that will end up saving me money.  I've had reusable nursing pads on my to-do list since summer.  Why I put it off until the end is beyond me but I guess that's just my way.  I found quite a few different tutorials and everyone had different ways they thought worked the best. 

After reading a bunch of them I decided to make mine my own way using some pointers from other blogs.  I used 3 different kinds of fabric, flannel, fleece, and PUL.  I also used cotton batting as the inside layer in all of them.  Some people used multiple layers of flannel instead of the batting but I was too lazy to dig through my stash for that much flannel and cut that many circles. 


Some blogs used fleece as the waterproof layer on the outside, other's used PUL.  I happened to have both so I made some of each.

 Since I haven't used them yet I can't say if one or the other works better but I like the feel of the fleece over the PUL.  I wasn't going for perfection with these since, let's face it, no one but me is actually going to see them.  So I didn't make sure the edges were finished

 

and I didn't match up the thread color with the fabrics either. They will serve their purpose regardless.

At first I didn't plan on making them contoured, just round.  I used a disposable nursing pad as a pattern so I would know what size I needed.  I cut 3 layers of fabric for each pad, a layer of fleece or PUL, a layer of flannel, and a layer of cotton batting.  Make sure your batting it 100% cotton and not a polyester, the cotton works better for absorbancy and looks better.  Stack these 3 layers with the cotton batting as the center layer.

Pin them together.  Notice mine don't exactly match up all the way around.  This is the beauty of these pads is perfection is unnecessary.  You will be trimming around the seam later, so your edges don't have to match up.

Stitch once around using a 1/4inch seam allowance using a straight stitch.  Then go around again with a zigzag or if you have a serger you can use that to finish the edges.  This will add stability and make your pads last longer.  Remember these are going to get lots of use and washed a lot too, you want them to hold up well through all that.

Once you have finished your edges cut around your zigzag stitch, making sure to cut close to it but not cutting through your stitching.

Now straight stitch a cross pattern

I didn't get a picture of the cross stitch before I added the pleats above so pretend they aren't there and you're just looking at the straight stitches.

After I made the first pad round and tried it in my nursing bra I realized it bunched up a little more than I liked so I needed to add some pleats, or darts, or whatever they are called, to make them contoured.

Once I put those in they fit perfectly.  The first few I made with pleats I didn't sew them down and they looked like this when I was finished.

After trying them on I thought you might be able to see them sticking up through my more form fitting shirts so I did a few like this:

Notice the pleats are stitched down.

They turned out perfect as far as fit, size, and you couldn't see anything through my shirts so I made all the rest with the pleats stitched down.

One thing I love about these is there's no crinkling of fabric like the disposable ones.  I truly hated that sound.  And these are really soft against my skin which I think will be great, especially in the beginning with soreness.

I made about 13 pair and plan on making a few more.  I really want enough to wear 1 through the day and 1 pair at night.  I didn't actually ever have a problem with leaking when I nursed Grant.  I never leaked one time and kind of felt like I was wasting my disposable nursing pads because they never had anything on them.  I've been told by numerous other mom's who've nursed that this isn't normal haha.  I think because Grant never latched on right my milk flow never got to be enough to make me leak.  Either way this time I'm prepared and I love knowing I don't have to stock up on disposable pads.  Those things can become costly really fast.  If I remember they were about $6 a box when Grant was an infant and if you tend to leak I'm sure you can go through them quickly.  When you're buying diapers, wipes, and nursing pads your bank account can take a hit fast, do yourself a favor and make some of these.  I probably made 6 pair within an hour once I got on a roll and figured out exactly what worked for me.  That's not too shabby in my opinion.  Not to mention if you know someone who's having a baby and going to be nursing these would make a great baby shower gift.

DIY Face Cleaning Pads:Preparing for Baby

There were a few things I wish I had in my hospital bag after I had Grant and I promised myself this time around I would have everything I wanted/needed.  One of those things were face wipes/pads.  It didn't even dawn on me to have these last time until I had been up since 1:54am, was in the hospital after 9 hours of labor and visitors started coming in.  That's when I thought, "man I wish I could quickly wash my face and freshen up".

Now I could have easily went to the store and bought some face wipes, but what fun would that be, right?  So instead I googled making my own and found loads of tutorials and blogs for the wipes but I wanted something small and easy to carry with me.  I also wanted more of a facial cleanser not really just a makeup remover, I found this blog and was super excited it was exactly what I was looking for.  She used baby wash, I think, but I wanted to use my face wash I use in the shower instead.

1T vinegar

1T rubbing alcohol

1T face cleanser

1cup distilled water

cotton rounds

-mix all ingredients in a jar and shake.  Put cotton rounds in a container and add enough of the cleanser solution to moisten them.  Don't do like I did and overly soak them because you will just end up dumping the excess out, and you won't want to be wasteful like me.

I stored mine in a small plastic container with a lid.  If you have an old facial cleanser container that would work even better but I didn't so this was my solution.

These are super convenient and work great.  They don't dry out your face, just leave your skin feeling nice and clean.

Diy Simple Cloth Napkins

I made some cloth napkins a couple Christmas's ago that were supposed to go to my cousin as a gift.  Well, I never made it to her house, she lives an hour and a half away, and then we moved and then she moved and I decided I would just use them at our place rather than save them forever.  Back then I made 12 out of a table cloth I found at Target on clearance.  They work perfectly and are thick fabric which I love. 

I've finally gotten my son and husband to use cloth napkins (when they are washed and ready) instead of the paper towels.  I hate buying paper towels but it seems like 12 cloth napkins don't last very long and before I know it they are all in the dirty clothes and we are back to using paper towels.  I've kept my eye out for another table cloth on clearance but with no luck I decided to raid my fabric stash.

I went back to the fabric I used to make dish cloths a couple weeks ago and found a yard of another fabric I had no use for as well.  I ended up getting 7 15x15inch napkins out of these 2 fabrics.  The fabric is just regular cotton so it's not very thick like the others I have but they will serve their purpose.

I used the same tutorial here, that I used for the receiving blankets and the other napkins I made.  I think I'm in nesting mode trying to get some things done before baby arrives and my crafting comes to a serious slow down for a couple months.  These cloth napkins have been on my to-do list for quite a while and I'm so glad they are finally done.  I'm still going to watch for inexpensive table cloths so I can have a crap load of napkins and there will be no excuse for anyone in our house to use up paper towels just for wiping off their hands.  But if you are wanting to get started using cloth napkins and have regular old cotton fabric lying around, go ahead and give it a whirl.  Most of the time we don't actually need really thick napkins anyway, it just feels more like the fancy ones you get in restaurants than the cotton ones.  I'm sure no one in my house will notice the difference between the two, they will be too busy eating to worry about what they are wiping the mouths with.

DIY Handmade Dish Cloths

I've been needing new dish cloths for quite a while now.  I've got a total of about 4. Two of which are falling apart and/or stained badly enough that I make sure they aren't out when company comes over, haha.  They aren't that expensive in the stores but I just hate buying those types of things which is why I've done without for this long.  But the other day I came across this post that I'd saved to my favorites forever ago and got new inspiration to make my own dish cloths.

I looked through my dish towels, which I have an over abundance of somehow, and picked out a couple I've had since college.  That's about 10 years I've had those towels, that's crazy.  Anyway they were faded and kinda ugly so I thought I could use them instead of an old bath towel, since none of my bath towels are worn out.

They are super simple to make and to make 4 it took me less than an hour.  I got super lucky and somehow Grant was uninterested in what I was doing.  Usually as soon as my sewing machine comes out he's right beside me asking "mama, what you doing?".  If this had been the case it might have taken me a little longer. 

I looked through my stash of fabric and found a print I bought awhile ago I wasn't crazy about anymore.  Not sure what my intention was when I bought it but I've had it too long, so this was the perfect project to use some of it up.

First I cut off the finished edges off the towels because they would have been too thick for my sewing machine. 

I cut 2 squares from each towel, each about 10 inches by 11 inches.  No need to be exact, they are just for washing dishes and counters so perfection isn't necessary.  At least not for me.

Since my towel squares weren't all exactly the same size I took each square and pinned it right sides together with the cotton fabric and cut the cotton to the same size as each towel.  Notice I made sure the images on the towels aren't going to be showing when I finish the dish cloths, so I made sure they were facing the correct way before stitching them together. 


Stitch around all 4 sides making sure to leave an opening for turning.  I used about a 1/2inch seam allowance.  Then clip the corners.

Turn each towel right side out, then stitch around all four sides making sure to stitch the opening closed.  I used 1/4inch seam allowance for this.

Now your done!  Go wash some dishes or wipe off those counters with your new dish cloths.

Or do what I did and shove them in your drawer vowing to finish the dishes tomorrow.


Every time I make something like this I hear my sister's voice saying, "seriously Lisa, why don't you just buy some new dish cloths, they cost like $4".  Haha.  Then I hear my husband's voice saying "wouldn't it be easier to just buy new ones.  Why do you always have to make everything?".  And the truth is I get a little rush and happiness knowing I can take things I have and make things I need without having to run to Wally World and give them more of my money.  I love being frugal (some call it being cheap but that just sounds negative to me), and I love making things.  The two go hand in hand with me.  If it's something we need and I can make it cheaper than buying it, that's what I'm gonna do.

DIY Elf on the Shelf Book

Since I didn't buy the store made version of Elf on the Shelf I made my own book to go along with the elf I purchased online.  I made a really simple version and printed it on white cardstock, used images I copied and pasted from the internet, and bound it by tying ribbon through the hole punches.

 

I used some of the wording I found from other blogs online and made up the rest myself so I thought I would share what my story actually said, just in case you're trying to come up with a story for your little Elf.

 

Page 1:

You have been chosen to receive your very own special elf. This elf is a scout elf. He will have special Christmas magic and is being sent to help Santa watch over you so he will know if you have been naughty or nice.

Page 2:

 

First you must give this little elf a name. He deserves a very special name because he will be your elf every Christmas season. He may look like a regular doll but the Christmas magic he will have will bring him to life.

Page 3:

 

Once you give him a name he will receive his Christmas magic. This is very special magic. Every night when you are sleeping he will fly back to the North Pole to tell Santa how you have behaved, good or bad, and about all of your adventures.

 

Page 4:

 

Then each morning he will fly back to your house and find a new place to sit and watch all the fun. This is how Santa keeps track of which girls and boys need to be on the naughty or nice list.

 

Page 5:

 

There are some rules that need to be followed with your special elf. First, and this is very important, an elf can not be touched. Christmas magic is very fragile and if an elf is touched he will lose his Christmas magic and won’t be able to fly back to the North Pole.

 

Page 6:

 

Second, an elf can not move or speak while anyone in the house is awake. You can talk to him and he will hear everything you say but he can not speak to you. His job is to watch and listen so he can report back to Santa.

 

Page 7:

 

This special elf will be yours each and every Christmas. He will come to stay with you after Thanksgiving, flying back each night to report to Santa until Christmas Eve. On that special night, while you are sleeping, Santa will come to your house to leave your gifts and bring your elf back to the North Pole until next year.

Page 8:

 

Only very special girls and boys receive a scout elf so take care of him and have fun finding him every morning when he returns from the North Pole.

 

I used Microsoft Works Word document to create Grant's book.  I put the pages on landscape and made them into 2 columns with a line to separate them to use less paper and make a smaller book.  After I printed the pages out I just cut on the center line, put the pages in order, punched 2 holes in the side, and tied ribbon through them.

 

See, no need to pay $29.99 for that store version when you can do it yourself.



 

 



Homemade Shout Stain Remover

I have to admit I am not the mom that spends hours trying to preserve her child's clothes at the end of the day by getting the grass stains out of the knees or the kool-aid stains out of his shirts.  I know I'm a slacker.  No stain remover has ever really worked well for me, there seems to always be a light stain still left after I spray, soak, rub in, spray, soak, wash, spray, soak, wash.

It's like a never ending battle.  Me vs. The Stain.

Somehow no matter how hard I work, I always lose.

So I gave up on even trying for a while and just turned all the really badly stained shirts into sleep shirts.  However the time finally came when he stained one of his good shirts that I really wanted to keep stain free.  Instead of spending a bunch of money on Shout or Resolve or Tide stain remover I decided to give a homemade stain remover a shot.  I've had really good luck with all my other homemade cleaners and detergents so I thought my chances might be good.

I found a recipe here and followed the directions.  I took a white kool-aid stained shirt of Grant's and a white tank top of mine with a stain on it (who knows where that came from).  I sprayed them and let them set for about an hour.  Then I soaked them in cold water for an hour or so.  When I took them out the stains were gone.  I wish I had a before and after pic of the shirts but of course I forgot.

Due the ammonia make sure you do not use bleach and you are in a well ventilated area not breathing in the fumes, because this stuff can be strong if you have a large stained area to spray. 

Homemade Dusting Spray

We recently moved and our stuff has been in storage for over a year, so naturally alot of our furniture needed polished and cleaned.  We have 2 end tables we use in our living room that my Papaw made years ago.  When we brought them to the new place they looked like some kind of white liquid had been spilled on them and dried to it.  Of course I had no dusting spray or furniture polish to clean them and kept forgetting to pick any up at the store.  I think I was intentionally forgetting because I truely HATE buying cleaning products.  Lets face it they are extremely over priced and none of them work as well as they say they will.

While I was unpacking I found a list of homemade cleaner recipes and in them was one for furniture polish or dusting spray.  I love homemade cleaners for a couple reasons;
1. They are usually cheaper because they are made from ingredients you already have.
2.  Most of them are safe to be around little kids.  While I still keep all my cleaning products, including the homemade ones, out of reach of my little guy it's nice to know they won't harm him.

This cleaner only contained two ingredients, which I had in my cabinet, vinegar and olive oil.  All you use is 1/2 cup vinegar and 1 tsp olive oil.  Mix them together in a spray bottle and spray on your furniture using a clean rag to rub it in.

 

Here is a couple before pictures of my poor little end table.

 

 

 

Here is the after:

 

I am so super excited about how well this worked so I knew I had to share.